South Dakota Tornado Leaves Path of Destruction

A tornado hit the small town of Wessington Springs, South Dakota, on Wednesday, damaging homes and businesses and leaving one person injured, according to the National Weather Service.

A survey crew from the NWS confirmed EF2 damage from the twister with wind speeds estimated at nearly 130 mph during a visit to the damaged areas Thursday afternoon. NWS meteorologist Todd Heitkamp told the Associated Press that the tornado tore "through the heart of town" around 8 p.m.

Lindsey Meyers, spokeswoman forAvera Health, which operates the hospital in Wessington Springs, said one patient in good condition is being treated as a result of the tornado.

Meyers said the hospital only has some broken windows and is operating on backup power. She said the hospital is fully staffed with EMTs, physicians and some advanced practitioners.

Gov. Dennis Daugaard tweeted that he has deployed 100 South Dakota National Guard soldiers and equipment to Wessington Springs and the Red Cross is also on the way.

At least 11 Wessington Springs homes were damaged to the point of being uninhabitable, reports the Argus Leader. But injuries were minimized because the town was warned about the tornado well ahead of time, said Jerauld County State's Attorney Dedrich Koch.

Daugaard told KELO-TV the tornado went through town from southwest to northeast and homes and businesses were destroyed. KELO-TV reported a car dealership was among the businesses destroyed.

Jaime Hoefert of Wessington Springs told KELO-TV she saw the tornado move over hills and through the town.

"We did see at least three homes destroyed with lots of structural damage around that area on the south side of town," Hoefert said.

Confirmed tornadoes also touched down nearby, outside the towns of Woonsocket and Alpena, Heitkamp said.

Wessington Springs is about 125 miles northwest of Sioux Falls and has a population of about 1,000.